Structures and examples of the causative verbs which indicate why or how something occurs.

1. Causative Verbs
By Kamol Karmakar
Lecturer, DELL, USTC.
Zakir Hossain Road, Foy’s Lake,
Khulshi, Chattogram 4202.

2.  The causative verbs are used to point out
that a subject either causes someone or
something else to do or be something for the
subject.
 যখন কেউ অনয োউকে দিকে কোন োজ
েদিকে কনে অথবা োজ েিকে সাহাযয
েকি, েখন কসই োজগুক াকে কয verb দ্বািা
প্রোশ েিা হে োকে causative verb বক ।

3. The causative verbs are:
Have,
Get,
Make (force, require),
Let (allow, permit), and
Help.
These verbs can be used in any tense.

4. Have & Get (Active Voice)
Let’s take a look at the following structures:
1. Subject + have (any tense) + object (usually
person) + verb in simple form + . . . .
She always has me finish her HW.
2. Subject + get (any tense) + object (usually
person) + infinitive + . . . .
She always gets me to finish her HW.

5. Have & Get (Passive Voice)
3. Subject + have/ get (any tense) + object
(usually thing) + verb in past participle + . . . .
I am having my shirt ironed.
* my – possessive adjective
* my shirt – a thing
He always gets his job done.

6. Make (stronger than have/ get)
Here, ‘make’ means force/ require. It doesn’t
take anything ‘passive’ as its object.
4. Subject + make (any tense) + object + verb
in simple form + . . .
He has made us work extra hours.

7. Let
Let means allow/ permit.
5. Subject + let (any tense) + object + verb in
simple form +. . .
For the verb ‘permit’/’allow’, we have a different
structure.
6. Subject + permit/allow + object + infinitive + .
. .

8. We are going to let the boys play today.
We permitted the boys to play today.
We didn’t allow the boys to play today.

9. Help
7. Subject + help (any tense) + object + verb
in simple form/ infinitive +. . .
The lesson helped me move on.
The lesson helped me to move on.

10. Thank you